A Warrior's Reflection
by SoraLover1994
Summary: Sora takes the remaining time he has on the Destiny Islands before the final battle with Xehanort to think back on just how far he has gone in these past two years of his life.


**So, I wrote something out around the time that Kingdom Hearts 3 was confirmed at E3. Yes, I wrote something out over a month ago. XD **

**Actually, it was going to be a whole "Keyblade Wars" story where people from the real world were being thrown into the KH world, but I decided not to follow through with the story. Though, I will post what I have if it is requested, though it's way too common nowadays in this fanfiction area. 0_0**

**This short scripture was mainly inspired by the teaser trailer's opening, and it's reflected on Sora's point of view. I wanted him to have some sort of reflection on his journeys before he entered the final battle, and it ends with the teaser trailer's description. Since there was nothing more than a facial expression I could think of, I decided to tweak it on my own. **

**I feel like I made Sora a bit more mature than he normally is in this run, but by KH3, Sora is already expected to be a bit more mature anyways. **

**In addition, I gave him some of my own viewpoints... Such as how I feel about growing up and on parenting, which I never once put any thought into until my own mother had passed away unexpectedly nearly a year ago. So, guys, go hug your parents today.**

**Well, now that I finally got this out of the way, I can continue my focus on my Shugo Chara fanfiction Gravekeeper for those waiting patiently for the next chapter. ^_^**

* * *

I could sense something…

All throughout the night, I couldn't bring myself to sleep and I couldn't imagine why. I even went down to the play islands on my boat in the middle of the night, thinking that some fresh air would do me some good at easing my mind. That place… was our thinking spot.

I hadn't been here since I returned home for a bit before I went with Riku to go and take the Mark of Mastery exam. I failed, sure, but it hadn't bothered me. It was just something else Riku deserved. Being on the islands again, it didn't feel the same without Riku and Kairi around to talk to, but Kairi had to begin her training and Riku had to prep her for it. Occasionally, Roxas and I would mentally interact with one another, but even that hadn't compared.

"Maybe… the worlds are mingling." I said, mostly to myself. The calm ocean breeze danced through my spikes as I got off of the Paopu tree. One of the star-shaped fruits fell right down into the ocean, and when I glanced down towards it, I noticed a boat floating by the pier with my peripheral view. In the boat was a woman with long brown hair tied into a ponytail that reached down the middle of her back. Reluctantly, I jumped off of the bridge and raced towards the pier. "Mom!"

She stepped off of the boat, gentle smile on her face. "I thought I'd join you. Why don't we take a walk around, Sora?"

Normally, a teenage boy would be mortified by words like that… but I knew that every time I left, there was no guarantee that I would be home for a while… or even at all. Being away in other worlds had taught me how much I appreciated little moments I could spend with my mom, and I wanted as much time possible with her as I could get. After all… she was getting older too.

"Sure. I don't mind." We set off towards the cove and just roamed about from there. "So, what did you want to talk about, mom?"

"I… know that you said you were going back on your journey tomorrow, but is there any way that you could stay here just a little bit longer?"

"Sorry, protecting the worlds don't offer any vacation contracts. Getting back here for a couple of days alone was literally pure luck. I really can't afford to lose too much time from my duties or else Riku's gonna end up picking up the slack for me again, and it'd really be too much to ask after everything he's done for me all of these times…"

Her eyes saddened. "Of course I understand that, Sora. You have a big responsibility as one of the Guardians of Light. Riku and Kairi as well."

I smiled a bit and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm really glad you do. Any other parent would force their kid not to go."

"Believe me, I almost pulled that. I know how important all of this is not just for you, but for the fate of the worlds. But as a mother, the last thing I could ever want is my little boy getting himself into mortal danger out there."

"I'm not four years old anymore, mom…" I joked. "But don't worry. I'll come back home as soon as we've finished off Xehanort for good."

"…Then you'll go to high school like a normal sixteen year old boy?"

"…Nah, I might just go and move to Midgar with Cloud, become a bounty hunter for SOLDIER-"

"Sora!" She whined. I only chuckled.

"I'm only kidding. I don't think there's any way I could catch up in high school, so I may just get a full time job." Then we looked to the rising sun over the horizon, and once again I got a sinking feeling in the pits of my stomach.

"Is King Mickey coming to get you?"

"He should be on his way already. He's most likely to make haste when he knows that I'm raring to get back into action."

"Ah. I see. I should probably be heading back home then. I wouldn't want to trouble His Majesty." She giggled a bit.

"Heh, not that he would really mind it." She wrapped her arms around me, gently caressing my spikes. I was a bit dumbfounded, blinking a few times.

"You've grown up so much without me, Sora…" She let go and kissed my forehead. "Always remember that you have a place to come back to, even if it's only for a day."

"I will, mom."

"I love you so much."

"I love you too." And then she turned and went back to the pier. I sighed and eventually found myself back near the Paopu tree. But as soon as I had reached the bridge, I jumped off and went towards the secret place concealed beyond the bases of the trees.

* * *

It was dark, the only light emanating from cracks in the stone walls. I came and sat here each time I visited the islands, leaning against the wall that held this world's keyhole for years. Riku, Kairi and I had gazed at it and wondered if it had been the gateway to a new world…

But our curious minds unlocked so much more.

I gazed upon the many pictures on the walls, and the memories I shared with my two best friends came rushing back to me. Each smile, each laugh we shared… even tears whenever we wanted to confide in one another about some of our darkest hours.

This was the place where Riku and I faced the monsters of our youth every day… This was the place that I was in when I discovered how I felt about Kairi when looking to our portraits of one another at the age of fourteen… This very spot I sat in is the place where my journey first began…

This was my home.

"…Will I ever be able to come back and live a normal life after Xehanort is gone…?" I summoned my Keyblade, holding it up towards the light and gazing upon it. "…Maybe I won't even be able to free the hurt at all… But I know that it'd be worse not to try."

I let the Keyblade disintegrate from my grasp, but kept my hand extended as if I were ready to call it back. After a few more minutes, I stood up, my back to the drawings as I exited the secret place.

* * *

As I walked along the sandy beaches, I noticed something on the beach shore. I made my way over to it. And as I got closer… I noticed that it was a Keyblade.

Slowly, I reached down and held it in my hand. It was a lot older looking than my own, but there were no signs of any wear, tear or rust. The blade was silver, the hilt a blood red color.

Whose Keyblade was this? And how did it wash up on the beach?

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the sound of King Mickey's Gummi ship revving across the clear ocean blue skies.

It was time to move forward.

* * *

**And that's it. It was mainly just something I thought up when KH3 got announced, like I said. 0_0 I don't have any idea how many fanfics were created based around that event, but hey, here's my take.**


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